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LYON, France – At the request of Sudanese authorities, INTERPOL has issued an international security alert, or Orange Notice, following the escape of four dangerous prisoners sentenced to death for the murder of a US aid official and his driver.

One Sudanese police officer was killed and another injured in an exchange of fire when the men attempted to pass a checkpoint southwest of Omdurman shortly after the breakout from the Kubar prison in Khartoum late Thursday.

Officers followed and stopped the car the men had been traveling in and arrested the driver, however the four fugitives managed to escape on foot.

The men – Abdelraouf Abu Zaid Mohamed Hamzza, Mohamed Makawi Ibrahim Mohamed, Abdelbasit Alhaj Alhassan Haj Hamad and Mohanad Osman Yousif Mohamed – were convicted of killing 33-year-old John Granville who worked for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and his driver Abdelrahman Abbas Rahama. Both were shot dead in their car in the early hours of 1 January 2008 as they were returning from a New Years Eve party.

Based on identifying information provided by INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Khartoum, including the fugitives’ photographs, the Command and Co-ordination Centre at the General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon has issued the Orange Notice security alert to law enforcement officials in each of its 188 member countries.

All NCBs and INTERPOL Regional Bureaus have also been requested to circulate the alert to all relevant national and immigration authorities to assist in the location and identification of the convicted murderers.

“The escape of these dangerous convicted murderers who showed no hesitation in firing upon police, leaving one officer dead and another injured, is a significant threat to the safety and security of citizens, and Sudan should be commended for their swift actions in alerting the global law enforcement community and the wider public,” said INTERPOL’s Executive Director of Police Services, Jean-Michel Louboutin.

“The information included in the INTERPOL alert which has been sent to police around the world, will significantly increase the chances of these four killers being quickly recaptured. These men are clearly dangerous and the public are advised not to approach them, but instead report any sightings to their local police,” warned Mr Louboutin

“The INTERPOL General Secretariat will continue to work closely with NCB Khartoum and other NCBs to provide whatever additional assistance is required to locate and arrest these dangerous fugitives.”

A resolution underlining the need for member countries to alert the General Secretariat to prison escapes involving terrorists and other dangerous criminals was adopted at the INTERPOL General Assembly in 2006.